Virtual Console: The Most Wanted Article

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Nintendo 64 Most Wanted

Pilotwings 64 (Paradigm)

It's rather baffling that Nintendo hasn't revived its high-flying franchise for the eminently suitable Wii, but even more strange that it hasn't added this fondly remembered 3D sequel to the Virtual Console. From biplanes to hang gliders, it's a gentle flight sim that seems absolutely perfect for the casual family market.

Body Harvest (DMA Design)

Another forgotten treat from the studio that would later become Rockstar North. This tale of alien invasion is even more interesting, since its 3D world and open levels would prove to be a handy testing ground for the tech that made GTA III possible. Of course, Body Harvest is a great game in its own right, and deserves a place in the third-person shooter Hall of Fame.

Blast Corps (Rare)

People like blowing stuff up, and the bigger the stuff, the more fun it is. Blast Corps understands this simple equation, and tasks you with clearing a path for a leaking nuclear payload. This means using bulldozers, robots and dune buggies to destroy any buildings in the way. One of Rare's more obscure games, this simple-yet-brilliant concept could probably still work as a boxed Wii release let alone a VC re-release.

GoldenEye (Rare)

Okay, so it's highly unlikely. Probably impossible. But if GoldenEye, the brilliant Bond shooter that showed consoles could handle an FPS, does get a downloadable re-release we'd much rather it be on a native Nintendo platform than via Xbox Live. Tied up in a legal brouhaha between various platforms and licence-holders, this is very much wishful thinking. But wishes can come true, can't they Mummy?

Commodore 64 Most Wanted

Wasteland (Interplay)

It's funny writing about Wasteland when all eyes are on Fallout 3. This post-apocalyptic RPG was doing much the same thing way back in 1988, almost a decade before the first Fallout game. Both, interestingly, were published by Interplay. Anyway, considering Wasteland's vintage, it's amazing how many features it crams in. Persistent openworld? Check. Non-linear gameplay? Check. Skill points and levelling up? Check. Multiple optional side quests? Check. It's a true pioneer, and more people should know about it.

Winter Games (Epyx)

Well, it is winter, after all. With the other Epyx sports games already on the VC it seems like a no-brainer that this frosty follow-up to Summer Games (they skipped Autumn Games for some reason) should make an appearance soon. It can't come soon enough for C64 fanboy Kristan, who has been wearing ice skates to work for the last three weeks in anticipation.

Quedex (Thalamus)

This rather wonderful puzzle-action effort from Thalamus would work perfectly on the Wii. Viewed top-down, it was an addictive compendium of cunning challenges where you guided a ball around hazardous environments trying to get to the goal within strict time limits. With visuals which played to the C64's strengths, it doesn't even look that bad, either.

Wizball (Sensible Software)

This is yet another example of just how innovative the old 8-bit era could be. Developed by Sensible Software way before soccer made them legendary, it's almost impossible to sum up in a simple sentence. You're a green ball with a face. You bounce around three simultaneous scrolling playfields, a bit like Defender, shooting enemies which then leave behind drops of paint. Collect the different colours in each playfield to colour in your monochrome world. It's barmy, obviously, but also brilliant - and surely a major influence on de Blob.

Maniac Mansion (LucasArts)

One of the first adventures to boast multiple characters. And multiple endings. And jokes that were actually funny. With the adventure genre resurgent on the Wii, there's no good reason why Maniac Mansion, the first of many awesome LucasArts point-and-clickers, shouldn't be available on the Virtual Console. And when it is available, then you can add Zak McKracken for good measure. Okay?

Turrican (Loriciels)

Many people wrongly remember Turrican as a console game, perhaps because it looked so at home on the Megadrive and SNES. Both those versions are on the Virtual Console, so why no love for the original - which actually debuted on the Commodore 64 in 1990? German developer Manfred Trenz stretched the home computer's architecture to its limit, and his achievement should be honoured with a place on the VC - and its brilliant sequels, while we're at it.

Mega Drive Most Wanted

NBA Jam Tournament Edition (Midway)

While this probably falls foul of changing licence agreements, Midway's basketball series once straddled the globe. This enhanced version is probably best known for its weird sense of humour, which makes it ideal for the Wii. As well as Big Head and Baby Head modes, it also features a bizarre array of secret players - including Will Smith, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and the Beastie Boys.

Rocket Knight Adventures (Konami)

When it was released back in 1993, many wrote Rocket Knight Adventures off as a lame Sonic rip-off. It's easy to see why - Sparkster, the hero, is an anthropomorphic possum in dark blue armour - but the gameplay is actually closer to Contra, with Nobuya Nakazato working on both titles. The Virtual Console is home to many cute side-scrolling platformers, and it would be nice if it could make room for this instead of yet another Wonder Boy effort.

Road Rash (EA)

What's better than motorbikes? Hitting people on motorbikes, of course. It's a recipe that Electronic Arts dished up with its now-defunct brawler-racer, and it's precisely the sort of fondly remembered arcade trash that should be populating the Virtual Console. There are many sequels, most of them a bit poo, so we'll stick with the original, thanks.

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